Distributed network-based communities, or “web communities,” such as social networking websites and Internet forums, have been increasingly common since the advent of the Internet. Web communities generally provide various platforms for users to communicate. For example, some conventional social networking websites enable users to communicate by way of instant messaging, electronic mail (e-mail), and by posting messages to virtual walls or message boards associated with a user or a group.
Typically, users provide profile information to the provider of the web community, such as their name, address, contact information, hobbies, or job-related information. This profile information can be used by other users to make a connection with another user. For example, a user can search for a specific user by initiating a query based on a name or e-mail address associated with the specific user. In another example, a user may browse other users based on an interest or hobby of the user. The user can then make a connection or request a connection with other users of interest. This connection defines an association between two users and can be used to determine access to certain information or content associated with the users.
Also, some conventional web communities may group their members. A web community group enables users sharing a common interest to communicate and share content with one another. For example, a web community group may include a virtual wall for members to post messages for other members to read. A user can initiate a group and invite other users to join. An invited user can then decide whether to accept or decline the invitation. If the invited user accepts, then that user becomes a member of the group. Additionally, a user may search or browse for groups and request (or directly) join one or more groups of interest. Web community groups can be useful for organizations to promote communication between target groups of people within the organization. For example, a corporation having a hierarchical structure may benefit from web community groups by providing groups for various departments or teams within the corporation.
Maintaining and updating group membership in a web community can be burdensome, especially for large or dynamic communities. Each time a user transitions from one role to another, an administrator of the web community would have to update the group membership information for that user and the membership information for the groups affected by the transition. This process may require modifications to multiple databases each time a user makes a transition. What is needed are systems and methods for automatically populating users into web community groups.